Liverpool Sound And Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Eithne Browne, Jessica Dives, Rachel Hinton, Molly Madigan, Paislie Reid, Angela Simms.
Faith, hope and charity, depending on your point of view, and what your station is in life, seems to be out of favour, nestled somewhere between ignorance and damnation, lies and misdeeds.
Yet for some these qualities exist under the strong umbrella held aloft like a sword up by compassion and sometimes we need to remind others that they too can benefit from this intervention of the soul, that not everything in life should or needs to be about money, that we should be thinking of the effect the world is having on our family, to listen without needing to reply but to understand; faith, hope, charity, compassion and love, these are the gifts we should be looking to bestow.
Directed by Joe Shipman, Helen Carter’s Merry Christmas, Carol is a reminder, a gentle caress working alongside a swift dose of reality, that we have become too consumed with the notion that we have to play the game of capitalist want, rather than being what we truly are, a society who values its family, human rather than a shopper, and looking after what we hold dear instead of giving in the unchecked desires of the self-serving mantra that is eating away at our soul.
We once had Scrooge to remind us of the folly of the time of year when seen through the blinkered eyes of the misanthrope, however the world of Carol is different, embittered by rejection, she has poured herself into work, chasing every hour, ever coin, and admittedly giving her daughter, Holly, all the material benefits she could ask for, she has neglected to give her the one thing she desperately needs, a mother who is there for her.
It is in Carol, and the surrounding characters of her life, that Helen Carter opens up the negative aspects of continual career drain at the expense of family life, the reminder that what we do is not point but how we appreciate the lives of others is.
Helen Carter draws upon the ethos of Liverpool, the willingness to help and be seen on the right side of justice and society and this reflects superbly in the characters portrayed, with the exceptional cast weaving together a play of incredible sensitivity and compassion; one that really will bring the tears of compassion to the eyes and laughter to the fore.
Merry Christmas, Carol, a very merry one indeed from the Studio Theatre of the Royal Court and all involved in this wonderfully presented play.
Ian D. Hall